


Freshening Up

by Floris_Oren



Series: Glowing Sunlight [1]
Category: Fullmetal Alchemist - All Media Types
Genre: Alphonse is patient, Army Barracks, Cleaning, East City, Edward is a tired cat, Gen, Mustang is mentioned but not directly in this fic, This is set early on in the series before the plot gets started properly, automail maintenance, but i tried, not certain about it now, not in grand detail, the boys are tired, the tags for this don't make sense, there might be a second chapter
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-11
Updated: 2019-10-11
Packaged: 2020-12-07 22:10:57
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,248
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20983205
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Floris_Oren/pseuds/Floris_Oren
Summary: after being away from civilization for three weeks on a side quest for Mustang; the Elric Brothers enjoy the Army barracks of the Eastern Command Center.





	Freshening Up

**Author's Note:**

> I dug out my FMA light novels and started reading one the other day; it got me into the mood to write something for FMA again. I used to be huge into this fandom. So I restarted watching the Brotherhood anime. 
> 
> I am also a lover of all filler episodes. The train episode, the Mine episode, barry the chopper, the blue rose episode (mostly from the early parts of the 2003 version of the anime) are my most favorite episodes to watch. I do like the tightness of Brotherhood though. and we really don't need to see those side quests. lol. 
> 
> Anyway, have a somewhat light story tonight to go with your autumn drink of choice and a cozy blanket.

Edward Elric, a blond boy of about fourteen years old, lazily yawned and stretched as the train finally came to a stop; outside the sun was just about to set. The East City sky's alight with blues and dark purples. Indicating that night would soon be upon them. 

_ Well, it’s better here than out in that nowhere town. _ Edward thought to himself. Alphonse grabbed his traveling case without a sound. They hadn’t talked since the food trolley rolled by and Edward had gotten a sandwich and some tea. It was tasteless. As all things seemed to be to him these days. He never said anything to Alphonse. 

The most he’d go is complain about how milk made him sick; no one believed him and he just got short jokes in return. Edward had puked once or twice if he had too much. He’ll still avoid it when he could. 

The two jumped off the train, and made their way out to the street; they weren’t the only one’s looking for transport across the city to the palatial Eastern Command Center. Yet, all the Taxi’s had been taken. This left Ed and Al to walk the long distance. 

“I hope the Colonel is still there.” Alphonse said. The silence is getting to him. Usually they were fighting like the two teenage boys they are; Edward is far too tired. He just mumbles something of a “He better be, Bastard.” and carried on walking. 

Alphonse could see his shoulder slightly dip. The automail is paining Edward a little bit. The weather where they’d spent their last three weeks hadn’t been kind. Alphonse had even developed some type of squeaking sound as he walked. 

Edward wasn’t able to fix it out in the field; they had to wait until their arrival to East City to fix it. And they still had to make a stupid report to Mustang. The day had been long enough as it was; this just made it worse. 

After a fifteen mile hike through the city, Edward and Alphonse finally made it to the gates. A night guard stood watch. Edward flashed him his Alchemy State pocket watch and the two are let in without a word. 

The front lobby is almost empty, the night attendant is plugging in what looks like to be a hot water pot. Probably for the small staff that cleaned and made reports at night. She also had a candle lit on her desk. A book lied besides it. 

“Excuse me.” Edward said. Trying to be polite. The girl looked up from what she was doing. “Is Colonel Mustang in?” he asked. Neither of them wanted to walk to the office just to find it empty. 

“No, I’m sorry, he left a while ago.” Then she got a look in her eye. “Wait a minute, are you Fullmetal?” she asked. 

“Yeah.” Edward isn’t used to people addressing him in this way. So he looked bug-eyed back at the woman. 

“Colonel Mustang told me to tell you that in case you came by super late to not worry about making a report or waiting around for him. Here,” then from the pocket of her uniform she took out a key, attached to it was a number. 

“He already had this set up for you.” she said. “It’s on the west side of the building.” 

Edward took the key. Then smiled; “Thanks.” she waved them off and the two went down the hall that she indicated they should go. 

“Brother, I didn’t know they had barracks here at the building.” Alphonse said. 

“It’s probably set up for traveling State Alchemists like us.” Edward yawned. But his work is far from over and he knew it. After a while they came to a hall with room numbers that almost matched their key. They went down the hall looking on both sides until they came to their door. 

Inside was a single bed, a night stand and what looked like a coffee bar; it had an electric tea kettle much like the one the lobby lady was using; amongst a selection of teas and coffees. And a note. 

** _Fullmetal, _ **

** _See me the morning after you get in; ten o’clock. _ **

** _Mustang_ **

Edward sighed in disappointment. “This sucks.” 

“Its okay brother.” Alphonse said. “You should get cleaned up and go to sleep.”

Edward sighed again, he crumpled the note up and threw it into the trash. Attached to their room is a bathroom. Mustang probably didn’t want them to wander too far afield of the Command Center. That’s just like Mustang, making them stay in places they actually didn’t want to be. 

Edward muttered to himself as Alphonse handed him a lone pair of very well loved Pajamas and pushed him into the bathroom. Alphonse didn’t pick a place to sit on the floor until he heard the water running and Edward struggling out of his clothes. 

But, before he at down he put out Edward’s cleaning cloth and metal solution for his automail. No matter what time or day, they had to keep it in good shape or it would break and Winry will bash Edward with her wrench. 

Again. 

Alphonse sat in silence as he most often did when Edward isn’t around. Listening to the water until it shut off. Edward still took a few moments to get himself together then exited the bathroom. His black pants and shirt went onto the floor near-ish to his case, his red coat is tarnished with dirt and grim but it got the better position of being hung on the back of a chair at a desk in the corner. 

“Alphonse, it’s your turn.” Edward said. 

“No. do your automail.” Alphonse shook his helmet. “I can wait until tomorrow. And you aren’t going to argue with me.” Alphonse put that finality into his voice he knew, under any other circumstances, would have started a fight.

Edward is lagging though, and yawning. Still he takes the tools and the wax and tarts cleaning his limbs. First his leg, and then his arm. When they are gleaming he puts the rag back into the small bag along with the rest of the automail cleaning supplies. 

“Alphonse…” Edward looked over to the big metal suit. 

“Go to bed now, Brother.” 

Another sigh, but Edward did as he was told. He crawled under the bed. The sheets are scratchy but they smell clean and that’s all that really matters to his hind brain. He stares at Alphonse until his eyelids are too heavy to keep open and finally he slips into sleep 

Alphonse waits and watches until some time in the early morning when he finds a piece of chalk in the traveling case. 

He quietly - the squeaking sound did not wake Edward - gathered the grungy cloth and high tailed it for the bathroom. There he soaked the clothes in water and soap then drew an alchemy circle on the floor. He put the pants and top, along with the coat, onto the circle. It activated by itself. Edward and Alphonse had worked hard to make this particular alchemy circle work without a chalk outline. The clothes steamed for a second, then poofed back into shape. 

After doing it so many times, Alphonse new that the clothing was clean. He folded them, cleaned up his mess, then put the folded clothes onto the desk. Again the bright, red coat, got hung on the back of the chair. Clean and wholly brand new again. 

  
  
  



End file.
